


25 Days Challenge

by I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Cuphead (Video Game), No Fandom, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: 25 Days Challenge, Christmas Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Maybe light angst? definitely not much though, forgive me my interests are a mess, will add tags fandoms and characters as i go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-05 03:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can/pseuds/I_Live_In_A_Trash_Can
Summary: A challenge I made up for myself. Every day until Christmas, I'm going to write a short poem or story about Christmas or winter.Fandoms will be marked in the title and tags.-EDIT:-I've given up this challenge. See notes on bottom of ch 6 if you're curious.





	1. Day 1: Countdown (NF)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: N/A  
> Characters: N/A  
> Relationships: N/A  
> Style: Poem

The clock struck.

One.  
The first day.

Two.  
It's been too long.

Three.  
Rolls of wrapping paper.

Four.  
Stockings over the fireplace.

Five.  
Points on the star atop the tree.

Six.  
Batches of cookies, ready for baking.

Seven.  
Strings of lights, wrapping around the house and tree.

Eight.  
Reindeer, waiting to be harnessed.

Nine.  
Candy canes hung on the tree's branches.

Ten.  
Events planned.

Eleven.  
Presents already under the tree.

Twelve.  
O'clock. Midnight, December 1st.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you have any suggestions or requests, go ahead and ask!
> 
> If you want to do this challenge too, feel free! Give it the '25 Days Challenge' tag and drop me the link so I can read your work.


	2. Day 2: Hell Freezes Over (Cuphead)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Cuphead  
> Characters: Cuphead, Mugman, King Dice, Devil  
> Relationships: N/A  
> Style: Story

Christmas time. The _worst_ time of the year.

At least, that is, when you work in Hell.

King Dice sighed deeply as he cleaned up after a little... incident... at the bar. He was avoiding his boss the best he could. The Devil got in quite the bad mood in December.

Dice was distracted enough to not notice the figures that approached him.

He felt something tug on his leg and glanced down. If the Devil's right-hand man had any heart left, it would have skipped a beat.

"Hiya, Mr. Dice!"

The two cup-face children that managed to send Hell into chaos in a single day were looking up at him cheerfully, each one holding a small box.

"What the hay are you two doing here?" He roared, slamming his hand on the bar counter.

The brothers flinched.

"We just wanted to give you a Christmas present!" The blue one replied, chipperness returning in a flash.

"Yeah, and we brought one for Mr. Devil too!" The red one added as he held up the wrapped box he carried.

Dice didn't know what to say. If he hadn't known any better, he would have just laughed them off.

But these weren't just any old kids. These were the little brats that made the Devil cry.

The blue one must have taken the lack of protest as a good sign, standing up on the tips of his toes and holding out the 'gift'.

Dice couldn't help but be suspicious. He slowly and carefully took the box, not letting the cup children out of his sight. Kids were unpredictable.

He gave the box a quick look-see. The wrapping paper was a bland silver with white Christmas trees dotted across it's surface. It was messily wrapped and taped in several unnecessary areas. A purple ribbon was loosely tied around it, and a scrap of paper serving as a tag was taped to what Dice assumed to be the top. After a bit of struggle, he tore the box within free of it's wrapping paper cocoon and opened it.

Within was a brand new pack of playing cards, a bag of gingerbread cookies, and an extremely bad quality drawing of Dice.

Dice glanced back to the cups. They smiled brightly and innocently at him, waiting for his reaction.

He smirked. He had never really been one for kids, but at least he was good at humoring them.

"Why, that's awfully nice of you two. You said you had one for the Devil, too?"

The brothers' smiles somehow grew larger as they nodded so vigorously the right-hand man heard the liquid within their heads slosh.

"You know where to find him. Keep your noses outta trouble this time, would ya?"

They nodded again, happily running off.

"Thanks, Mr. Dice!"

"Merry Christmas!"

King Dice let his smirk drop as soon as they were out of sight. He set the box aside, shaking his head to himself. Kids.

The Devil himself lounged on his throne within the pits of Hell, glaring at imps and lesser demons as they ran about. Hell was restless this time of year.

He was sick and tired of December already. It was the one month out of the whole year where people somehow found it, deep within their hearts, to hate him even more. Demons couldn't get much done, and positivity was at an all-time high.

He heard the doors to his throne room open. Imps screeched. He braced himself for whatever brand new kind of torture he would be introduced to before sitting up.

For once in his near-eternal life, he felt fear.

The cup brothers were racing towards him.

The Devil's fur rose on end and his grip on his trident tightened. "Why are you back here?" He roared.

"Hi, Mr. Devil!"

"We have something for you!"

It was a sad, sad day when the King of Hell himself was terrified of a pair of kids.

"You little mongrels broke a deal with me, and caused an uproar in Hell! **In Hell!** "

The two slowed down at that, but smiled right back up at the Devil.

"We brought you a Christmas present!"

"Yeah! To cheer you up!"

"And to apologize for... that..."

The red one- he could never remember which one's which, namewise- held up a wrapped box as he trotted up to the Devil. The blue one noticeably hesitated before following.

The Devil glared at the box and the cup holding it before grabbing the gift. The wrapping paper was unappealing in appearance, and it looked like it had been taped up by a blind person. Who was using their feet.

He sliced through the paper with one swipe of a claw (inciting duo gasps of amazement from the cuplings, to his distaste), and opened the box. Inside was a fuzzy, hastily made doll that had some sort of resemblance to the Devil? Along with it was a bag of cookies and a paper Christmas tree.

The cup brothers were standing side by side, looking at the Devil expectantly. The King of Hell resisted the urge to cringe at the sheer joy and innocence the two gave off. It was almost easy to forget the damage they had done.

Almost.

He sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned back on his throne. "Thanks, I guess."

The cups beamed before running off.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Bye bye, Mr. Devil!"

The Devil let out a low growl, glancing back at the box. He would never admit it, but he was a little envious of the bravery of those two. Walloped him good, then ran back down to Hell to give him a Christmas present.

Children were a mystery, even to the Devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Got any suggestions for future days? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Day 3: Past and Present (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Bendy and the Ink Machine  
> Characters: Henry Stein, Joey Drew  
> Relationships: N/A  
> Style: Story

_An excited boy knocked on his friend's door, a box tucked under his arm._

_They wouldn't be able to see each other until after Christmas, but he didn't want to wait that long before giving his present._

_The door opened and a middle-aged woman glared down at him._

_"Henry? Honey, Joey can't play today. He's still grounded."_

_"I know, but I brought him a Christmas present," the boy replied. Henry never really liked Mrs. Drew, and the dislike seemed to be mutual._

_"Mom! Is that Henry?" A familiar voice called from within the house._

_"Go back to your room!" Mrs. Drew boomed over her shoulder. She took the unwrapped box from Henry in distaste. "I'll give it to him for you. Go home. Happy holidays."_

_"Hi, Henry!" Joey shouted, defying his mother to peek around the corner of the hall._

_"Hi, Joey!" The other boy called back, waving from around the blockade that was Joey's mother._

_"Room, now!" Mrs. Drew barked, closing the door._

_"Merry Christmas!" Henry gave one last call before the door slammed shut._

_The boy sighed as he turned to go back home._

_"Henry!"_

_The man mentioned was nearly bowled over by his friend._

_"It's about time we spent the holidays together, eh?" Joey smirked, playfully elbowing Henry. Both men chuckled._

_"Uh, about that," Henry began, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand._

_"Aw, come on!"_

_"It just came up, I'm sorry!"_

_Joey crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "And what could possibly have come up to make you decide not to spend some free time with your best pal?"_

_Henry sighed. "This... This gal I met back in school-"_

_"You got the hots for the doll, don't ya?"_

_"Hey, I-" the taller man paused mid-protest. "Ok. Yeah. I do."_

_The two men met each other's eyes. Joey's stare was level, and a bit... cold..._

_"Alright. Have fun," the shorter finally said._

_"Jo, you aren't mad-"_

_"Nah. I understand. You found yourself a gal."_

_Henry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "I'm sorry, Jo."_

_"Don't be. Just don't get too stuck on her, we still have to focus on getting the studio up and running."_

_Henry nodded, turning away. He knew that Joey wasn't too happy with the sudden change of plans, no matter how much the other denied it._

_"I'm not gonna forget about you, or the studio. We're finally fulfilling our dreams, Joey! I ain't leaving any time soon."_

Henry sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. He ran a hand through his greying hair and rubbed his temples.

He was remembering the studio days again.

It was Christmas, for Pete's sake! His wife and kids were downstairs celebrating. And here he was. Staring at the sketchbook again.

Ever since he unearthed the old sketchbook he had carried and drawn in as he and Joey first thought of forming Sillyvision, he had been plagued with memories of the past.

He grabbed it from the nightstand and flipped through again. Character ideas that never worked, some that showed promise, random doodles. He couldn't help but see how much his art style had changed.

His first concept sketches of Bendy were in this one.

Henry's grip tightened on the book.

Was Joey even in business still? Henry doubted it. When he left, things were going downhill fast.

He paused on a page.

How had he not seen this while looking before?

It was a cartoony cat he had been drawing for Joey. Joey had always mentioned wanting a pet, but had never been able to get one. Henry couldn't remember why.

One year Henry decided to jokingly make Joey a pet for Christmas.

He had never given it to Joey.

He smiled sadly, tracing a finger over the head of the cat.

He couldn't help but wonder where Joey was now.

The door opened.

"Dad, the specials are on the telly!"

"Coming, sweetie!"

He put the sketchbook back on the table. He shouldn't dwell on the past.

After all, Christmas is about appreciating what you have in the present, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Suggestions for future days? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Day 4: Creation (NF)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: N/A  
> Characters: N/A  
> Relationships: N/A  
> Style: Poem

The fireplace crackled  
As he sat  
Lost in thought

The day was growing nearer  
Everything was bustling  
As the snow continued to fall

He picked up the toy  
Unfinished on his desk  
Running reindeer on a sleigh

He had someone in mind  
A special child  
Who needed some cheer

Eight reindeer pulling the sleigh  
Ribbons on their backs  
Bells jingling from the reins

The bright red sleigh  
With gold and green trimming  
And a full sack in the back

And in the front seat  
Steering the deer  
Was himself

The child sat there too  
Right next to Santa Clause  
Smiling at the snowy sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Suggestions for future days? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Day 5: FamILY (Sanders Sides)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Sanders Sides  
> Characters: Patton, Logan, Roman, Virgil  
> Relationships: LAMP (Romantic or platonic)  
> Style: Story

The Mindscape was decorated even more than Thomas' own house was. It had been since the first day of December.

Christmas music was always playing faintly in the background. It had been since the _day after thanksgiving_.

Virgil would be annoyed at that still currently if it weren't for the fact that Pattonwasbasicallypinninghimtothecouch.

"You're celebrating with us again and you can't get out of it."

The Anxious Side sighed, trying to worm free of Patton's hug. "I know, I know! I wasn't going to hide away for it anyways."

"I think we all learned not to avoid 'family' celebrations a while ago," Logan remarked as he entered the living room of the Mindscape with a tray carrying mugs of hot chocolate. As soon as he sat the tray down, Patton had his arms wrapped around two Sides.

"This is cruel and unusual punishment!" Virgil whined.

"Have you seen Patton? This is anything but unusual," Logan clarified, not bothering to resist the Moral Side's love.

Before Virgil could retort, Roman barged in with a few large bowls full of fresh popcorn in his arms.

"Alright, Padre, what movie are we watching first?"

Logan and Virgil were temporarily freed from Patton's grip as the fatherly Side reached for the remote. Roman plopped himself down beside Virgil and wrapped an arm around the Anxious Side's shoulders before he could try to bail. Virgil sighed loudly, giving up and curling up to Roman's side.

Patton sat down as soon as the TV started playing Rudolph and instantly joined in on the hug, snuggling up to Roman and Virgil. Before Logan could escape, Patton was pulling him into the cuddle pile too.

It was a weird, tangled pile, but it functioned.

Roman had one of the popcorn bowls balanced on his lap, eating from it. Patton and Logan shared their own bowl, while Virgil hugged a hot chocolate mug close to him. Occasionally one of the Sides would reach for their mug, or Virgil would timidly ask for some popcorn.

After a few classics, they played Nightmare Before Christmas at the incessant requests of Roman and Virgil.

As their Christmas movie night went on, both Virgil and Logan appeared more relaxed. Every now and then they would shift their order on the couch, and both introverted Sides would start instinctively snuggling up to whoever was beside them. At one point they completely distracted themselves from the movie when Patton basically tackle-hugged all of the others in one go. Roman had born the brunt of the attack, the Creative Side eventually resorting to tickling Patton until he got off so Roman could sit up again.

After hours stretching into the night, they had lost any remaining hint of organization, settling into a strange blob.

It was the blob of family, as Patton had joked several times.

As the final movie came to an end and it went quiet, a faint noise was heard.

One of the Sides snored lightly.

If any of the others were awake to hear it, they didn't let it show.

And if Virgil realized he had fallen asleep in a big warm snuggle pile he denied it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Suggestions for future days? Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Day 6: Coal and Snow (NF)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: N/A  
> Characters: "Coal", "Snow"  
> Relationships: Coal x Snow  
> Style: Poem

Candy cane into a point  
Sweet smile with sour eyes  
Ripped the mistletoe  
Killed the love  
Didn't bat an eye  
Fierce and unafraid  
Coal black

Like melted chocolate  
Sweet and warm  
A steamy mug on a cold day  
Innocence  
The joy of fresh snow  
An angel in the flakes  
Snow white

They shouldn't belong together  
But they did

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a short drabble because I had no clue what to do but I might use these characters again?
> 
> Thoughts? Suggestions for future days? Even just leave a word, it might help me write! Leave a comment (or a kudos if you really liked it)! Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> It's obvious no one on here cares so, I give up. A week in. I was honestly hoping people would comment, giving suggestions, more people reading it. I don't know why. I guess I learned, huh?


End file.
